OH WOW, I get a big raise come January

Social Security checks going up

5.8% increase the biggest since 7.4% in 1982

WASHINGTON - Social Security checks are going up $63 a month for the typical retiree - the largest increase in more than a quarter century but likely to seem puny to the millions who have been watching in horror as Wall Street lays waste to their retirement nest eggs.

Every little bit helps, but the boost is coming after a year when people living on fixed incomes have been pounded by surging energy prices and higher food costs - and lately have seen their lifetime savings shrivel along with the stock market.